of Trustees finally withdrew from the idea. This action on the part of the Trustees was followed in the succeeding months by criticisms and pressures which finally resulted in Porter-Leath Home and Children's Bureau being brought together under a trial period of actual work in the Home which continued for some nine months. This working arrangement, however, did not coordinate with Porter-Leath's established routine and was discontinued in June 1963. For the next few years, Porter-Leath Home did not become affiliated with the Children's Bureau. Although the Home's Director, its Boards of Trustees and managers realized the necessity to modernize its child-care efforts, they wanted to do so with minimal changes to Porter-Leath's traditional customs. The Birth of Porter-Leath Children's Center By 1965, an evaluation of the Porter-Leath Home by the Department of Public Welfare strongly recommended the institution update its services from just providing custodial care to a multiple-program format for children. According to the evaluation, other programs, such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), veteran's benefits, foster homes and Social Security benefits, had limited the need for institutions serving dependent and neglected children. The Department determined, with professional casework and the utilization of other programs for children and families, many children could remain in their own homes. This service could best be accomplished by professional caseworkers working together with children, their parents and other community resources. Apparently, the State's recommendations, the changing climate of child-care and the home's difficulty conforming to Federal Standards for a modern child-care agency convinced the administrators of Porter-Leath Home to reconsider the cooperative affiliation with Children's Bureau. This endeavor resulted in the Porter-Leath Home consolidating its services with the Children's Bureau effective November 20, 1969. When these two agencies merged, their combined efforts became known as the Porter-Leath Children's Center. The goal of this merger was to provide comprehensive child welfare services for children and their families. Mid 20th Century 1969–1997 Since 1969, Porter-Leath has changed the focus of its services and developed new programs to meet the ever-changing needs of children and families in the Memphis community. Beginning in 1971, Porter-Leath began to operate and supervise a series of family day homes (day care in a person's home) that cared for the children of working parents in a family setting in their home neighborhoods. Through this program, nutritious hot meals are served to children at the homes and social services